lindgren



March 3, 1964 Q UNDGREN 3,123,359

BIFURCATED GOLF CLUB HANDLE Filed April 17. 1961 [a Tia;2.

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FRANK 7.' L A/ amw BY ATTORNE Y5 United States Patent Oflice 3,123,359Patented Mar. 3, 1964 3,123,359 BIFURCATED GOLF CLUB HANDLE Frank T.Lindgren, 2708 Rose St., Berkeley 8, Cali. Filed Apr. 17, 1961, Ser. No.103,409 3 Claims. (Cl. 273--81.3)

This invention relates to bifurcated golf club handles in general, andis particularly directed to such a handle arrangement wherein thehandles are oriented relative to the club shaft and head to provide themost relaxed and favorable grasp of the golf club possible.

In the usual manner of grasping a conventional golf club the fingers ofboth hands are disposed in overlapping relationship about the singleshaft of the club. One hand must be above the other on the shaft of theclub even with the overlapping grip and therefore one shoulder naturallyassumes a position above the other. An extreme muscular eifort, severewrist flexion, and substantial extraneous tension, particularly in thewrists and fingers, are consequently involved in swinging a conventionalclub, particularly in the execution of a putting stroke. As a result themost sensitive condition of kinesthesia is prevented before and duringthe stroke and accuracy is impaired.

Although a variety of modified handles have been evolved to overcome theforegoing difiiculties, heretofore the most favorable and relaxed graspof the club to permit optimum participation of both hand andstabilization of the alignment of the club as well as maximum controland uniformity of the stroke, has not been provided.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide animproved handle for a golf club or the like which facilitates the mostrelaxed and favorable grasp of the club possible.

It is another object of the invention to provide a bifurcated handlearrangement for a golf club wherein an independent handle is provided tobe grasped by each hand in a non-overlapping type grip and the handleshave a specific unique orientation with respect to the remainder of theclub to allow optimum participation of both hands with a minimum ofextraneous tension, particularly in the wrists and fingers.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a golf club handlearrangement of the class described which improves the skill of theplayer, particularly in the putting game or which may be employed toprovide a practice club for training purposes.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some ofwhich, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the followingdescription of the preferred form of the invention which is illustratedin the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It isto be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by thesaid drawing and description may be adopted within the scope of theinvention as set forth in the claims.

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view taken parallel to the head face of agolf club with which the improved handle arrangement of the invention isemployed.

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, but taken perpendicular to thehead face.

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the golf club with improved handlearrangement.

Referring now to the drawing there is shown a golf club including ashaft 11 which may be of conventional design, a similarly conventionalhead 12 secured to the lower end of the shaft, and an improvedbifurcated handle arrangement in accordance with the present inventionat the upper end of the shaft and generally indicated by the numeral 13.

The bifurcated handle arrangement 13 comprises a pair of handles 14, 16attached firmly and integrally with the golf club shaft 11 andprojecting therefrom at a point of bifurcation indicated at 17. Thehandles 14, 16 maybe cast in rubber, plastic, or the like in the mannerthat the handle of a conventional club is provided. -The handles 14, 16facilitate a completely independent and simultaneous grasp of the clubby both hands in a non-overlapping type grip. What is more important,however, is that the handles have a predetermined orientation relativeto the head and shaft which I have found facilitates the most relaxedand natural grasp of the club possible to the ends of minimizedextraneous tension and wrist flexion and minimum net muscular eifort inthe movement of the club associated with a stroke. Increased accuracyhence results due to the increased kinesthetic sensitivity facilitatedby the bifurcated handle arrangement.

Considering now the beneficial predetermined orientations of the handles14, 16 relative to the shaft and head in accordance with the salientaspects of the present invention it is to be noted that for a righthanded golfer, the axis A of the left handle 14 is formed by theintersection of a vertical plane passing through the axis B of the shaftand oriented at approximately right angles to the club head face 15, andan approximately horizontal plane passing through the point ofbifurcation 17. The axis C of the right handle 16 then lies in avertical plane passing through the shaft and head face, the axis passingthrough the point of bifurcation 17 and forming an angle ofapproximately 135 with the club shaft axis B.

The foregoing general orientations of the handles 14, 16 may of coursevary to some extent to optimumly accommodate golfers of differentanatomical features. Accordingly the orientations of the handles may bemore aptly specified as including an appropriate degree of variation.More specifically the axis A of the left handle 14 lies in a verticalplane that is oriented about 5 to 15 from a vertical plane D passingthrough the shaft normal to the head face 15 and such axis forms anincluded angle of about i10 with the shaft axis B. The axis C of theright handle 16 lies in a vertical plane oriented about 100 :15 to thevertical plane D passing through the shaft normal to the head face andaxis C forms an included angle of about i20 with the shaft.

Although the specific orientations of the handles 14, 16 of the improvedbifurcated handle arrangement have been discussed hereinbefore relativeto a right handed club, it will be appreciated the same holds for a lefthanded club except that the handles are oriented in a complementarymanner.

What is claimed is:

1. A golf club comprising a shaft, a head secured to the lower end ofsaid shaft, and a handle assembly at the upper end of said shaft, saidassembly being bifurcated to include a pair of independent handlesprojecting from said shaft, the axis of one handle being defined by theintersection of a vertical plane passing through the axis of the shaftin substantially right angular relation to the face of said head and asubstantially horizontal plane passing through the point of bifurcationof the assembly, the axis of the other handle being disposed in avertical plane passing through the axis of the shaft and the face ofsaid head and forming an angle of approximately 135 with said shaft.

2. A golf club comprising a shaft, a head secured to the lower end ofsaid shaft, and a handle assembly at the upper end of said shaft, saidassembly being bifurcated to include a pair of independent handlesprojecting from said shaft, the axis of one of said handles disposed ina vertical plane oriented 5 to 15 from a vertical plane passing throughthe axis of said shaft normal to the face of said head and forming anincluded angle of about 100:10" with said shaft, the axis of the otherof said handles disposed in a vertical plane oriented about 100il5 tosaid vertical plane passing through the axis of said shaft normal to theface of said head and forming an included angle of about l35i20 withsaid shaft.

3. A handle assembly for a golf club shaft comprising bifurcated handlesprojecting from said shaft with the axes of said handles being invertical planes passing through the axis of said shaft, said handle axesforming angles of greater than 90 With said shaft axis and beingangularly disposed relative to one another about the shaft axis at anangle of substantially 90".

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

3. A HANDLE ASSEMBLY FOR A GOLF CLUB SHAFT COMPRISING BIFURCATED HANDLESPROJECTING FROM SAID SHAFT WITH THE AXES OF SAID HANDLES BEING INVERTICAL PLANES PASSING THROUGH THE AXIS OF SAID SHAFT, SAID HANDLE AXESFORMING ANGLES OF GREATER THAN 90 * WITH SAID SHAFT AXIS AND BEINGANGULARLY DISPOSED RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER ABOUT THE SHAFT AXIS AT ANANGLE OF SUBSTANTIALLY 90 *.